Name: Baked Sweet Potato Balls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 lb sweet potatoes ((450g)); ¼ cup glutinous rice flour ((30g)); 1 cup white rice flour ((130g)); ¼ cup granulated sugar ((55g)); 1 tsp baking powder; Vegetable (oil spray)

These gluten free Baked Sweet Potato Balls are a simple and tasty treat that is best eaten warm. It is a healthier alternative to the deep fried version.

One of the most popular desserts on this blog are those golden irresistible Sweet Potato Balls I shared in March 2015. It is a very simple dessert using just a few ingredients. One of them is vegetable oil because those golden orbs were deep fried to perfection. I try not to do a lot of deep frying but I relent every now and then, especially when the recipe calls for it.

For some, deep frying is an absolute no-no. Hence, I have had numerous requests for a baked version. This can be a little tricky because not all deep fried recipes convert easily to a bake version. The obvious differences are texture and appearance. Ingredients may also have to be adjusted to compensate for any deficit of taste.

I tried to stay as close to my original recipe as I possibly could in making these Baked Sweet Potato Balls. I did however change three things. I reduced the amount of glutinous rice flour to prevent the Baked Sweet Potato Balls from becoming too firm. To compensate for that, I used a full cup of regular white rice flour to form a soft, non-sticky dough. Then I used a cooking spray to lightly coat the sweet potato balls with a thin layer of oil to help them brown in the oven.

You will notice from these pictures that the browning only appeared where the Baked Sweet Potato Balls touched the baking tray. Also, the texture is not as smooth as the deep fried counterpart. Still, I think they turned out fairly well but I would definitely suggest that they be eaten warm. To be honest with you, I think the recipe can certainly be improved upon. What I would do differently the next time is probably to further reduce the amount of glutinous rice flour and regular rice flour used for an even more tender and moist bite. Let me know what you think if you do give this recipe a try.

Baked Sweet Potato Balls

These gluten free Baked Sweet Potato Balls are a simple and tasty treat that is best eaten warm. It is a healthier alternative to the deep fried version.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: baked sweet potato balls

Servings:

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

INGREDIENTS

1 lb sweet potatoes (450g)
¼ cup glutinous rice flour (30g)
1 cup white rice flour (130g)
¼ cup granulated sugar (55g)
1 tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil spray

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes until soft. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
Add glutinous rice flour, white rice flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder to the mashed sweet potatoes.
Mix with a spatula until a soft dough forms. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
Spray a baking tray with vegetable oil spray. Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
Pinch a little dough from the bowl and roll between palms to form a 1-inch diameter ball. Place on prepared baking tray. Repeat until all dough is used up.
Spray formed sweet potato balls with vegetable oil spray. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove baking tray from oven. Spray sweet potato balls with vegetable oil spray. Then flip sweet potato balls over. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove and serve warm.